I think most people would be lying if they said MOTUC Draego-Man wasn’t the figure that sold them on the 30th Anniversary of Masters of the Universe subscription. An original character in MOTU is a really hard sell simply because there are SO many vintage characters already. You are sure to upset fans who are afraid their favorite character will not get done due to the new characters, this is called the 200x syndrome … always afraid the end is near. On the other hand there is the vintage purist who will not acknowledge anything that didn’t exist in the 80’s. And then you have the people who just like a good toy, and I think Draego-Man appeals to that audience the best.

For those not in the know, the 30th anniversary series is a set of six figures. Two of those figures are from “Create A Character” contests (Photog from the original one, and the new winner to be announced at SDCC 2012). The other four are made by MOTU enthusiasts The Four Horsemen, Scott Nietlich (Toy Guru), Geoff Johns, and Terry Higuchi. These are all original characters that are being written into the MOTU canon via the bios on the back of the cards and the mini comics. Draego-Man was made by the Four Horsemen, the guys who sculpt/create every MOTUC figure … really if you don’t know who the Horsemen are by now, then I can’t help you.

Draego-Man is an imposing figure. He’s enormous in comparison to any other regular carded classics figure; he fills the entire card and probably takes the prize for most plastic used in a MOTUC release. The first thing you will notice are those two giant wings that have been newly sculpted for him, but they will be reused for Granamyr later in the year (and will look a lot smaller on him). Going past the wings, he also has the largest head in the line thus far as well. Draego-Man is literally sweeping the awards for “Biggest …” in the classics line.

So what else is new? Well if you want to count them, those King Hsss shoulders are corrected so that’s new. We also have a new armor plate over the torso, new gauntlets with three-fingered dragon hands, and a new back that goes over the tail where you can plug the wings into. The rest of the body uses a lot of smart reuse including a King Grayskull loin cloth, Chief Carnivus shins, and Hodak feet. You will also have no issues getting him to stand up because his tail makes the perfect anchor to his heavy body.

When Draego-Man was originally shown he had a really sweet shield with an attachable flame frame around it in addition to a non-flame sword. All of that has been cut due to cost and we are left with simply his flaming sword. I am more forgiving over the cut accessories because of the size of the figure, but unfortunately this trend is continuing throughout the year with characters like Horde Prime getting his staff cut.

So what do you need to look out for with the wonderful, sexy Draego-Man? I had a little bit of paint that rubbed off onto the inside of the bubble effectively giving Draego’s armor dragon some eyebrows. That’s not really something you can look out for since you buy these online. I suppose you could use that line of logic if you are at a toy show and a both has a long row of Draego-Men for purchase. The other thing to look out for is the horns on his head. They are made with extremely soft material so they can warp. I don’t mind the warping because perfectly symmetrical horns are boring.

The other thing you should look out for is the pegs holes that connect the wings to the back. Take it easy on them because maneuvering them too much can cause the hole to open up too much and you run the risk of a Draego-Man who can’t keep his wings on. They have a pretty tight joint so sometimes pulling on them too hard will make them pop out.

Draego-Man: figure of the year? It’s still early in the year but he is definitely in the running. There are a few things I hope that come from this; first I hope the Horsemen get the ability to make a new MOTUC character every year. Second, I think Draego-Man would be a great candidate for a repaint … green, purple, whatever color would make a great little dragon army that will look great once Granamyr is out. If there is one figure you shouldn’t miss this year, Draego-Man is it.